Elevator-door-operating mechanism



Aug. 21, 1928.

P. LANG ELEVATOR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed 1 2 Sheets-Sheet Aug,21, 1928.

, P. LANG ELEVATOR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1. 1922 QSheets-Sheet Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

IUNITED STATES 1,681,545 PATIENT" OFFICE.

PHILIP LANG, OF CEDAR FALLS, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO WAGNER MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF IOWA. 3

' .ELEVATOR-DOOR-QPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed Augustl, 1922. Serial No. 579,001.

My invention relates to improvements in elevator door operatingmechanism.

The object of my invention is to provide an operating means for doubledoors for elee vators which practically eliminates thenoise usuallyfound in suchdoors, and which 15 accomplished by flexible chains orcables or the like and maintaining both ends, connected to the differentdoors, under equal tension. I y

Another object of my invention is to absolutely prevent the possibilityof any ac.- cidental interference of any of the movable parts with oneanother or with any of the stationary parts and also prevent any saggingof the flexible operating means OISlClG lash thereof and thus obtain asnearly as practical a noiseless door. 1

Another object of my invention, is to provide anoperating means in whichany loose connection of thedoor or the operating art is automaticallytaken up and thus pro uce an operating means having a material advantageover those now on the market.

A still further object of myinvention .is to provide a simple, cheap andeffective operating means of this character having certain details ofstructure and combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of asliding/elevator door with my invention applied there; to;

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of Fig. 11;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view similar to. Fig. 2 showing my inventionapplied to a four door arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5. is a transversesectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3..

Referring now to the drawings, izrepre sents the track arranged at theopening in the elevatorshaft and which as shown is formed of'two U-beams2 and 3 bolted to.- gether' by bolts 1 having the washer abetween thesame, so as to form the space 6 between the same, the purpose of whichwill be later described. The track as will be understood extendsslightly beyond the door opening. I The inner U-beam 2 is supported tothe wall of the elevator shaft by means of brackets 6' as shown in Fig.i of the drawings. While I have shown and described this specific formof track it Will be underto the door carrying beam 13.

stood that any form could be used provided provision wasmade for theball or roller carrying plate, sothat the same prevents. the transversemovement of the roller carryin plate. y

,in the formshown in Figs. 1.-2 and 4 of the drawings, the doors 7 and 8are secured to the hangers 9 and 10 by bolts 11 and said hangers areconnected by bolts 12 This beam as indicated at 13, Fig. i, is formed bytwo U-beams 14: and 15 bolted together and having their inner abuttingwalls at their lower ends cut away asindicated at 16 and 17 to form thelongitudinal groove .18 in its lower face. Theball carrying plate com:prises a plate bar 19 arranged on edge in a vertical. position andhaving at proper intervals the struck out portions 20 and 21 arranged oneach side forming ball retainers for the [balls 22 and whereby thecarrier is free to travel on the track with the plate between theU-beams 4 and also in the groove 18. These balls are free to rotateintheplate and whereby a free and even rolling action of thebeam 13isypermitted. There is no positive connection between the ball carryingplate and hanger beam, but the saidbeam is previ ded'with downwardlyextendingarm 23 adapted to engage the lug 24 carried by the ballcarrying plate when the door is moved in one direction and to engage thelug 25 carried by the plate when movedinthe opposite directiomallofwhich will be later described.

I heretofore described/each door 7 and 8 fl'is provided with two hangers9 and 10 rigidly seci'ired to. their respective beams. The track at itsends is provided with pulleys 26 and 27 over which passes the two cables28 and 29. These cables can be of any desired form and can be in theform of a chain if desired. The inner hanger of each door is providedwith brackets 3031' bolted or .otherwisesecured thereto and 'havlaterally turned ends 32. .Secured to the laterally turned portion ofthe bracket 81 is a' coiled spring 3'3Iwhich has its top.-

posite end secured to the'cable 28. Theeable 28 as described passes overthe pulley 26 and has its other. end secured to the bracket 30 carriedby the hanger 9 of the door 7 Also secured to the bracket 30 is a coilspring 34 which has its opposite end secured to the cable 29. The saidcable passes over simultaneously operated.

the pulley .27 and has itsopposite end secured to the bracket 31 carriedby the hanger 9-ot the door 8.

By this structure it will be seen that upon the operation of either doorthe other door is This is accomplished in the following manner. The door7 is moved to the right as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Thismovement of the door pulls on the cable 28, it being attached to thebracket 31 of the hanger 9 of the door 8. This starts the door 8 to movein the opposite direction as indicated by arrow, Fig. 1. The spring 34gives door 7 a gradual starting movement and at the same time the cable28 is holding the spring 33 under tension and the doors aresimultaneously moved in the opposite direction under spring tension fromboth ends whereby a gentle starting of the door is obtained withoutpractically any noise.

The supports of the hangers roll on the balls and travel twice thedistance than the balls themselves and the plate in which they areenclosed; thereby causing the balls to partially follow the carryingbeams in the direction of travel and thus'make it possible to use ashorter ball train than the length of the track. In case the motion ofthe ball retainer plate, in either direction, is impeded and the doorcarrying beam caused to slide over the balls, then towards the end oftravel of the door carrying beam, the arm 23 abuts against either of thelugs 24, causing thereby the ball retaining plate to correct itslocation'with regard to the door carrying beam. 3

In the'modification shown in Figs. 3 and 5, I have shown a four doorarrangement embod ying my invention. In this form the two tracks 35 and36 are constructed 'in precisely the same manner as that shown anddescribed in respect to thetrack' 1. These tracks as shown are arrangedside by" side in the same horizontal plane and are preferably supportedby the brackets 37. In this form two doors travel in one direction andtwo doors in the opposite direction and in Fig. 3 I have shown two doorsmoving in one direction, the other two doors being broken away but itwill be understood that the operation of each pair of doors will be thesame. The two doors carrying beams 38 and 39 are constructed the same asthat shown in the two door construction and the ball retaining plates 40and 41 are constructed the same as heretofore described. The hangers 12and 413 of the outside door are secured to the beam 39 and the hangers44c and 45 of the inside door extend upwardly on the inside of the innertrack and secured to the beam 38 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.Secured to the inner beam 88 of the inside door are two brackets 46 and47 which extend down and are secured to the ball retaining plate'al dooras'shown in Fig. 5. p

The outer track at each end is provided with the pulleys 49 the same asshown and described in the preferred form and passing over the same arethe cables 50 which are connected to the brackets 51 of the outside doorhangers the same as shown in the of the outside preferred form so thatas either of the midby the brackets d6 and 47 with the ball retainingplate are caused to travel with and at the same speed as'theretaining'plate 41, which is half the speed and'con'sequently half thedistance that the outer door beams travel. By this means the outer andinner doors of each set when open, starting from a position, side byside at the end of the track will move to a position edge to edge as inFigure 3, when the doors are closed. Likewise the outer doors willtravel at'twice the speed of the inner doors and having traveled twicethe distance arrive simultaneously with the inner doors at the end ofthe track.

Iclaim:

1. The combination with two sets of sliding doors, a ball carrying platefor each door, cables connected to the outer door of one set andextending in opposite directions around pulleys and having theiroppositeends having a'spring connection with the outer door of the other set andoperating means carried bythe ball carrying plates of'the outer door ofeach set.

2. The combination with two sliding doors moving inv oppositedirections, cables connected to one door and extending in'opposite 1direction around pulleys and spring connection with the other door andmeans for causing the inner door to travel at half the speed of theouter door.

3. The combination with two sets of sliding doors, cables connected tothe outer door of one setand extending in oppositedirection'aroundpulleys and having a spring connection with the outerdoor ofthe otherset and means for allowing of afast movement of theouter doors of each set so that both doors reach their limit ofmovementjin either direction at the same time.

4. The combination with two tracks arranged side by side, fourballcarrying plates rolling on said -tracks, four door carrying membersrolling on said balls of the plate,

a spring tension cable attached to the door carrying member of one ofthe outer doors and extendingaround a pulley and connected to the doorcarrying member of the other outer door, a spring tension cableconnected to the last mentioned door carrying memberand extending arounda pulley and connected to the first mentioned door carrying memberconnections between the rear door carrying members and the ball carryingplates on the outer tracks and engaging members carried by the outerdoor carrying members and adapted to engage lugs carried by the ballbearing plates whereby the moving of one of the outer doors causes theother outer door to move by the cables at a rapid speed so that all ofthe doors reach their limit of movement in either direction at the sametime.

5. In combination with two tracks arranged side by side, ball carryingplates rolling on said tracks, door carrying members rolling on saidballs of the plates, a cable connected to the door carrying member ofone of the outer doors and extend around a pulley and connected to aspring connected to the door carrying member of the other outer door, acable connected to the last mentioned door carrying member and extendingaround a pulley and connected to a coil spring, connected to the firstmentioned door carrying member, connected between the rear door carryingmember and the ball carrying plates on the outer track and engagingmembers carried by the outer door carrying member and adapted to engagelugs carried by ball bearing plates whereby the moving of oneof theouter doors causes the other outer door to move by the cables at a rapidspeed so that all of the doors reach their limit of movement in eitherdirection at the same time.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

PHILIP LANG.

